A former Peterborough County OPP officer has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against several of his fellow officers, the OPP, the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the Ontario government.

Michael Jack also filed a human rights complaint against the detachment and a hearing for that complaint began in May. It has since been put on hold while Jack pursues his civil court case. His lawsuit seeks a total of $4,145,135 in general, punitive and aggravated damages.

“I want acknowledgment,” Jack said. “I want recognition. I want to hold them accountable for their abuse of power.”

His statement of claim outlines a toxic work environment where, Jack states, he was reprimanded for things he didn’t do, singled out for problems he didn’t create and punished for standing up for his rights.

None of Jack’s allegations have been proven in court. The OPP has not responded to his lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 21 at a Toronto courthouse.

Jack is a Jew who was born and raised in Russia. He moved to Israel in 1990 and then to Canada in 2000. After obtaining a degree from Trent University he began working at the city’s post-secondary institution as a computer instructor in 2007.

It was there that he met the then-chief of the York Regional Police, who, he says, encouraged him to become a police officer based on his education and Israeli army background.

Jack opted to apply to the OPP. In 2009 he began working at the Peterborough detachment as a probationary constable. Most of his fellow officers, the claim states, were born and raised in the Peterborough area and no one else spoke English with a thick accent.

According to Jack’s statement of claim, his downhill slide at the detachment began before he even got there. His fellow officers assigned him the nickname “Crazy Ivan,” based on his heavy accent and Russian roots.

The claim alleges that Jack’s work environment became increasingly poisoned. Rumours began to spread. One officer confronted him, asking him if he could speak with a “Canadian accent.” The claim states that his fellow officers spread rumours that he “wasn’t right” and that he disliked women.

Jack’s claim describes a coach officer who was unwilling to work with him and failed to coach him on police basics like writing Crown briefs and preparing and submitting reports. The claim describes several instances where blame fell on Jack for errors other officers made and details incidents where Jack was ridiculed in front of his peers by his staff sergeant and called incompetent.

Everything came to a head in August 2009 when Jack was charged with failing to yield to oncoming traffic while on duty in an OPP cruiser. It was a Highway Traffic Act offence and Jack’s ticket was eventually tossed out of court by a justice of the peace.

Jack’s claim states that he tried to find recourse through the Ontario Provincial Police Association, but received little help. Once others heard he had contacted the association, the claim states, the negative comments and reviews increased.

Jack’s claim states that that the issues and negative feedback continued after he was transferred to another platoon. His new training officer, the complaint states, was a good friend and neighbour of his former staff sergeant.

In September 2009 Jack was the subject of an internal complaint. The allegation, the claim states, cited a concern that Jack was associating with “undesirables,” members of an Albanian organized crime ring. That allegation was dismissed as unsubstantiated about two months later.

In December 2009 Jack was fired by the OPP.

In an interview, Jack said it’s been impossible to find work with another police service because no one’s interested in hiring an officer who couldn’t hack it through probation with another service.

He said he’s struggled with depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies.

Jack has since returned to Israel but said he plans to come back for every court appearance if his lawsuit moves ahead.

The issue isn’t money, he said. It’s about holding people accountable for dragging him through the mud.

In Russia, Jack said, he would never have dreamed of becoming a police officer. It wasn’t seen as a dignified career.

“But in Canada, I was so impressed,” Jack said.

Being a police officer was a respectable position, he said. But what he encountered was far from that.

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. — A former Peterborough cop has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his fellow officers, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the province.

His statement of claim outlines a toxic work environment where, Jack states, he was reprimanded for things he didn’t do, signalled out for problems he didn’t create and punished for standing up for his rights.

“I want acknowledgement,” Michael Jack said. “I want recognition. I want to hold them accountable for their abuse of power.”

None of Jack’s allegations have been proven in court.

Jack is Jewish and was born and raised in Russia. He moved to Israel in 1990 and then to Canada in 2000.

In 2009 he began working at the Peterborough OPP detachment as a probationary constable.

Most of his fellow officers, the claim states, were born and raised in the Peterborough area and no one else spoke English with a thick accent.

According to Jack’s statement of claim, his fellow officers assigned him the nickname “Crazy Ivan,” based on his heavy accent and Russian roots.

One officer allegedly asked him if he could speak with a “Canadian accent.”

The claim states that his fellow officers spread rumours that he “wasn’t right” and that he disliked women.

Jack’s claim states the harassment continued after he was transferred to another platoon. His new training officer was a good friend and neighbour of his former staff sergeant.

In September 2009 Jack was the subject of an internal complaint. The allegation, the claim states, cited a concern that Jack was associating with “undesirables,” members of an Albanian organized crime ring. That allegation was dismissed as unsubstantiated about two months later.

In December 2009 Jack was fired by the OPP.

In an interview, Jack said it’s been impossible to find work because no one’s interested in hiring an officer who couldn’t hack it through probation with another service.

He said he’s struggled with depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies.

The issue isn’t money, he said. It’s about holding people accountable for dragging him through the mud.

Jack, who has since returned to Israel, said he thought being a police officer was a respectable position in Canada. But what he encountered was far from that.

A former Peterborough cop has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his fellow officers, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the province.

His statement of claim outlines a toxic work environment where, Jack states, he was reprimanded for things he didn’t do, signalled out for problems he didn’t create and punished for standing up for his rights.

“I want acknowledgement,” Michael Jack said. “I want recognition. I want to hold them accountable for their abuse of power.”

A former Peterborough cop has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his fellow officers, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the province.

His statement of claim outlines a toxic work environment where, Jack states, he was reprimanded for things he didn’t do, signalled out for problems he didn’t create and punished for standing up for his rights.

“I want acknowledgement,” Michael Jack said. “I want recognition. I want to hold them accountable for their abuse of power.”

A former Peterborough cop has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his fellow officers, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the province.

His statement of claim outlines a toxic work environment where, Jack states, he was reprimanded for things he didn’t do, signalled out for problems he didn’t create and punished for standing up for his rights.

“I want acknowledgement,” Michael Jack said. “I want recognition. I want to hold them accountable for their abuse of power.”